


One Small Step

by sequence_fairy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nebulous setting somewhere around season three, Nifty aliens that i have invented because I needed some, a touch of, but only briefly, canonverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:27:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22903183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sequence_fairy/pseuds/sequence_fairy
Summary: “We’ll radio from the surface,” Shiro promises.They make quick work of pre-flight and then they’re off.The flight is uneventful and the landing is easy. Keith radios back up to the Castleship to let them know they’ve landed safely, and then he and Shiro are stepping out of their respective Lions, down onto the alien soil.Beneath their feet, the grass is spongy and has a pleasant give. The sky is a mess of sunset colours. The terrain rises and falls in rolling hills around them.“Which way do you want to go?” Keith asks.Shiro turns around in a slow circle. There’s a glint of something in the distance off to their right. “That way,” he says, pointing.Shiro's always loved stepping onto a new world. It'll be a treat to share this one with Keith.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 53





	One Small Step

**Author's Note:**

  * For [temerarious](https://archiveofourown.org/users/temerarious/gifts).



> Written for the 2020 Sheithlentine's exchange! Prompts included a desire for canonverse and an opportunity for Shiro to save Keith. I hope I have delivered. 
> 
> Thanks, as always, to my betas, without whom this would still be very rough. <3

The planet appearing on the Castleship sensors had felt almost too good to be true. Breathable atmosphere, small population of likely friendly inhabitants, no predators that would think the paladins might be a good meal. The chance to go down to the surface and stretch their legs a little during a lull in the fighting seems like the easy decision. 

Allura had looked dubious when Shiro suggested that everyone take a turn down on the surface, but she’d agreed eventually, knowing that being cooped up on the Castleship was driving them all kinds of mad. For how big the ship is, the architecture is so much the same for the entirety of it, that it had definitely started to feel cramped. Shiro’s also developed a fondness for stepping onto alien soil now that he’s visited several planets.

He and Keith draw the first visit down to the surface. Shiro catches Keith’s gaze across the briefing room table and smiles. It’ll be nice to share this moment with Keith.

“Try not to engage with the locals,” Allura says, while they’re all gathered in the hangar to send Shiro and Keith off. “There’s not much in the database; the last records we have are from thousands of years ago.”

“Noted,” Keith nods, but Shiro can see he’s itching to get into his lion and get moving. 

“We’ll radio from the surface,” Shiro promises. 

They make quick work of pre-flight and then they’re off. 

The flight is uneventful and the landing is easy. Keith radios back up to the Castleship to let them know they’ve landed safely, and then he and Shiro are stepping out of their respective Lions, down onto the alien soil.

Beneath their feet, the grass is spongy and has a pleasant give. The sky is a mess of sunset colours. The terrain rises and falls in rolling hills around them. 

“Which way do you want to go?” Keith asks. 

Shiro turns around in a slow circle. There’s a glint of something in the distance off to their right. “That way,” he says, pointing. “I want to know what that is.” 

Keith nods. “Alright.” 

They walk along, taking in the scenery and gradually, they approach the treeline at the edge of this rolling grassland. The trees here are verdant. They slide under the edge of the canopy and the air cools noticeably. They keep walking until the trees open up into a small clearing and Keith stops, tipping his head back to look up at the sky, ringed by the spreading branches.

Shiro catches another movement out of the corner of his eye. Quick as a whip, he’s turning, lifting his arm.

Keith ducks under the sweeping arc of a blade, but takes a punch straight to the point of his jaw that drops him cold. Shiro’s there to catch the backswing of the weapon. The impact reverberates up Shiro’s arm. His opponent disengages and takes a step back to regroup before going on the offensive once again. 

Behind him, Shiro can hear Keith rolling over and, hopefully, getting to his feet. 

Shiro’s attacker is fast. His weapon seems to be a long handled blade that gives him a reach Shiro can’t seem to get inside. The blade whistles as it slices the air, moving almost too fast to see. Shiro ducks and blocks and ducks and blocks, trying to figure out how to get inside the reach of the weapon. Its wielder is slight, so Shiro knows if he can get close, he can probably overpower them through brute strength alone, but it’s a matter of cutting through the whirling figures. 

“Shiro!” Keith exclaims, and Shiro chances a glance back to where Keith is. The minute distraction nearly costs Shiro his head but the view from behind him is equally alarming. 

Keith is being hauled to his feet by another dark-clad figure. Their hand around Keith’s throat is tight, and Keith’s feet kick out as he’s lifted up off them. 

Shiro ducks, says a quick prayer, and steps in close to his attacker. For his trouble, he has to block the staff of the blade with his flesh arm, and the blow rattles his teeth. He’s already moving through it, throwing a punch that lands, knocking his opponent back onto their heels. This time, when the staff comes whipping through the air, Shiro catches it, barepalmed. It stings like a motherfucker, but Shiro holds. 

There’s a bit of a scuffle, until Shiro disarms his attacker by wrenching the weapon out of his hands and tossing it out of reach. Like he thought it would be, it’s easy enough to simply overpower them. Shiro grips one of their wrists, and wrenches it up and back, moving to stand behind them. He kicks out a knee and forces them down, before looking for Keith. 

They’re surrounded. 

Arrayed in a loose semi-circle behind Keith are several more dark-clad figures. They’re all dressed the same. Keith’s being held up on his tiptoes. He’s been disarmed. 

“Let him go,” Shiro says. He’s proud of how his voice doesn’t shake. 

“Let ours go first,” says a voice from the circle. It’s sibilant, muffled by the masks they’re all wearing over their faces. 

“You attacked us,” Shiro argues, “for no reason.” 

“You were trespassing,” someone else says. “Are we not allowed to defend our land from interlopers?” 

Shiro shrugs. That’s reasonable, to be sure, but he and Keith would have reacted much better to a non-violent request. “If you let my friend go, we’ll leave,” Shiro says. 

“You’ve desecrated the sacred grove!” someone else interjects, and there’s a rustle of disapproving noises from the assembled. Some kind of silent communication passes between the person holding Keith and the group of people behind them. 

Keith’s feet flatten against the ground as he’s lowered. The person holding him shoves him forward and Keith stumbles, coughing, towards Shiro. Shiro steps back from the man he’s holding and lets go of his wrist. He falls forward before catching himself on his hands and knees. 

He’s fine, Shiro knows, just winded from the punch and sore from the hold. Keith is Shiro’s main concern. Shiro steps out around his one-time captive and meets Keith. 

“You okay?” Shiro asks, gaze tracking across Keith’s features. The hit to his chin is probably going to bruise but otherwise he looks alright. 

“Yeah,” Keith says, voice hoarse. He coughs again. Shiro’s hand comes up to squeeze his shoulder. It’s a brief touch, but Shiro draws strength from the feel of Keith, vital and strong, underneath his hand. 

“We’ll go, alright?” Shiro says, to the assembled. “We’re very sorry. Our ships are just over the rise.” Shiro points back the way they came. 

“A’kith will go as your escort.” 

“It’s not far,” Shiro protests.

“A’kith will go as your escort.” It’s not a request. 

“Fine.” Shiro gestures with one hand. “Lead on.” 

One of the aliens steps forward. Presumably, this is A’kith. They’re as tall as the rest, and wearing the same black clothing, their face covered. One by one, the remaining aliens take off into the sky, wings unfurling as they leap into the air, before wheeling away in a flock of dark figures. 

“You guys can fly?” Shiro can’t help himself from asking. Keith looks completely flummoxed. 

“Flying is expedient,” A’kith says. They look at Keith and then at Shiro. “As you do not have wings, we will walk.” 

They fall into step together. 

It’s not a long walk, but Keith is flagging hard by the time they get over the rise and can see the Lions looming in the distance. They pause at the crest of the hill, and Shiro reaches out for Keith. Keith sags against the support of Shiro’s arm around his waist. 

“Let’s get you home,” Shiro says, nearly under his breath. Keith nods. He takes a breath, Shiro feeling the expansion of his ribs, and then steps out from Shiro’s embrace. 

A’kith looks back at them. “I will leave you here,” he says. “I can maintain vigilance.” 

The last of the trek back to the Lions is done in silence. Shiro doesn’t look back to see whether A’kith has taken off before he helps Keith up the ramp into the Red Lion. 

“You good to fly back?” 

“Yeah,” Keith says, “she’ll do most of the heavy lifting.” He reaches up to press his hand fondly against the ship. The Lion bond pulses in the back of Shiro’s mind. 

As they take off from the surface, Shiro looks for and finds the lone figure of A’kith remaining on the hill. Seemingly satisfied that Keith and Shiro are leaving, A’kith launches themselves into the sky, wheeling off in the opposite direction as Shiro and Keith. 

“I still can’t believe they can fly,” Keith says into the comm. 

“Me neither,” Shiro agrees. They break the atmosphere together and soon the stars are spread in front of them like so many diamonds. 

When they get back to the Castleship, Keith is looking a little less wobbly on his feet. He still looks pale and the bruises are starting to come up around his face and his neck. There’s a quick debrief, Allura’s brows furrowing as Shiro describes their encounter and Coran offers an historical anecdote that may or may not have any basis in fact. When the debrief finishes, Shiro can finally hustle Keith out and down to the medbay. 

“I don’t need a pod,” Keith protests. His voice is more hoarse now, and there’s a tightness around his eyes and jaw that Shiro assumes is from the steadily darkening bruise around his neck. 

“Humour me,” Shiro says.

Keith sighs. 

“C’mon,” Shiro chides, “it’ll be quick and you’ll feel so much better afterward.” Keith still looks dubious. “I’ll be here when you get out,” Shiro says. 

That seems to make Keith come to a decision. “Fine.” 

Shiro moves to the controls, programming in a quick session, and watches Keith climb into the pod. The door snicks shut with a quiet hiss and Shiro watches Keith’s eyes slide shut. 

Some three vargas later, the timer dings and Shiro looks up from where he’s got his tablet across his knees. He’s been updating the Castleship records on A’kith’s people. Shiro gets to his feet so he can be there when the pod opens with a release of air and Keith groggily steps out. 

Shiro steadies Keith once he’s stepped out of the pod with a hand on his shoulder. Keith looks up at him, eyes still hazy with the healing sleep. “Hey,” Shiro says, “how’re you feeling?” 

“‘M good,” Keith says, blinking slowly. He shakes himself, and blinks again. This time, his eyes are clear. “Man, the pods always do a number on me.” 

Shiro grins. “Yeah, I wonder if it’s the Galra blood in Altean tech.” 

“Maybe,” Keith says. He hasn’t stepped away from Shiro’s hand. 

Shiro squeezes Keith’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re alright,” he says. 

“Good thing you were there,” Keith replies. He looks up at Shiro, mouth slanted in a teasing grin. “Nice to have you saving my butt for a change.” 

Shiro snorts. He sobers quickly. “I’m really glad you’re okay. When I saw you go down–” Shiro cuts himself off. He looks away from Keith’s twilight eyes. 

“Hey,” Keith says, lifting a hand to Shiro’s face. It takes all Shiro has not to lean into Keith’s touch. “Really though,” he says, “thank you.” 

Shiro looks back into Keith’s eyes. “You’re welcome,” Shiro says. “Glad I got a chance to be the one doing the saving, since you know, you keep getting stuck having to rescue me.” Shiro lets his voice turn a little teasing, trying to ride the edge of the moment without sinking too far into it. It’s hard. 

“Shiro,” Keith admonishes. He’s still touching Shiro’s face. Shiro lets his eyes close briefly, to savour the sensation, before he steps back. Keith’s palm catches the collar of Shiro’s shirt, keeping him close. “I’m never stuck having to rescue you,” Keith says, and there’s a firmness to his voice that makes Shiro’s eyes open again. “Never. It’s my pleasure to keep you safe; to look out for you.” 

“Keith.” Shiro’s a little floored by the fierceness in Keith’s voice; the vehemence. 

“You–Shiro, you’re so important. To all of us.” Shiro hears the click of Keith’s throat as he swallows. “...To me.” 

It must be the last dregs of the adrenaline of the fight on the surface, or maybe just the push of the glowing thing that Keith’s words have ignited in Shiro’s chest. All Shiro knows is that he wants to drown himself in Keith’s sincere gaze. He’s leaning in before he can stop himself. 

Keith inhales in surprise at the first touch of Shiro’s mouth to his, but then his hand tightens around Shiro’s collar and he draws him in. Shiro’s hand comes up to hold Keith’s waist, feeling the lean strength of him, and Keith shuffles forward, lining them up from chest to toe.

They break apart after a long moment, only far enough for Shiro to rest his forehead against Keith’s. “You’re–You’re important to me, too,” Shiro says. “I’ll always be here for you.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Please come and chat with me about my fic on [tumblr](http://sequencefairy.tumblr.com) or on [twitter](https://twitter.com/warpspeed_chic).


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